clarinews@clarinet.com (LISA HARRIS, UPI Sports Writer) (01/16/90)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (UPI) -- Now that George Foreman's comeback has some credibility, his appetite is bigger than ever. Foreman was supposed to be finished by the time he fought Gerry Cooney Monday night. Foreman's age (41), his questionable opponents (``I've been fighting bean bags too, not just tomato cans,'' he said), and his weight (253 1/4 pounds) all contributed to the belief his career would end. Two rounds and one knockout later, Foreman will put the hamburgers on hold -- but not the fights. Foreman knocked out Cooney at 1:57 of the second round Monday, running his comeback to 20-0 with 19 knockouts after a 10-year retirement. ``I want to stay active -- I'll fight for $1 million and I'll fight for peanuts,'' Foreman said after the bout that paid each fighter $1 million. ``Boxing matches are the only things that keep me out of the hamburger stores. Otherwise, if I don't (box), I'll eat this planet up.'' Instead, Foreman has plans for the heavyweight champion currently making claim to eating up every fighter on the planet -- Mike Tyson. ``The Mike Tyson fight will be a special event ... I think the greatest fight of all,'' Foreman said. ``I had a chance to reaquaint myself with the media and I'm going to help him promote it. ``Because Rip Van Winkle came out of his sleep.'' And what the media has discovered is that George Foreman has become loveable, a new dimension to the former champion Foreman now calls ``antisocial.'' In his dressing room after the fight, Foreman said the public will want Foreman-Tyson above all other available heavyweight fights and it will want Foreman to win. ``Everyone needs somebody, not a manager or trainer to say everything's going to be OK.'' Foreman said. ``I think after this fight, I'll have everybody.'' Foreman, a Houston minister, said he chose a country-western song by Lee Greenwood, ``God Bless the U.S.A.'' because the line ``at least I can say I'm free'' is ``my theme.'' Foreman said in addition to having personal meaning for someone who lives in a country that has come to recognize age discrimination, his song choice had a message for the boxing public. ``People forget why we are able to meet together and boo or cheer for whoever we want,'' he said. ``Because we live here. That song was to remind everybody: The things we have in common are more and greater than our differences.''